


"Parent" Points

by mothicalcreatures (laelreenia)



Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Bigender Alex, Child Neglect, Family Bonding, Gen, Misgendering, Reunions, Scott's shitty childhood, Trans Character, Trans Scott
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 06:18:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9309185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laelreenia/pseuds/mothicalcreatures
Summary: Based off this prompt on Tumblr:Couples receive “parent points”, which they can use to purchase their children. Most parents wait for a few thousand, but you chose to buy the cheaper, 100 point child.After getting separated by the foster care system, Alex works to earn up enough points so he can adopt Scott.





	

The problem with “parent points” Alex thought bleakly, was that they were designed for parents, not older siblings. They didn’t care about sibling relationships and Alex wasn’t old enough anyways. You couldn’t start earning parent points until you were eighteen. It was one of the things that made the adoption system so fucked. Well that and the fact that they designated children by worth. Honestly, how fucked up was that. Alex felt guilty for hoping that Veronica wouldn’t wind up ranked too high, but at the same time, if she was she’d at least have the chance for a better life.  

Alex couldn’t legally hold parents points until he was eighteen and after that it was slow going even with Charles’ clearing Alex’s record. He took parenting classes for half the normal amount of points. He made an honest effort with finishing school and completed his GED. Trying to get a job was harder, but he couldn’t adopt unless he had a job. While Charles and Hank worked to start the school Alex was working two jobs down in Salem Center to become somewhat financially stable and earn parent points.

Alex was about a year into earning points, (he was nearing 20), when Charles said he’d located Veronica at an orphanage in Nebraska. At least he thought it was Veronica. Older brother named Alex, lost parents to a plane crash, brain waves were similar to Alex’s, except they were a boy and calling themself Scott. Alex was almost relieved, if Scott was trans then he’d likely react well to Alex’s girl days, but he also knew how people like them got treated and when Charles told him that Scott was listed as a 100 point child, Alex wasn’t really surprised. Angry yes, but not surprised. Charles promised to keep an eye on Scott while Alex continued to earn points.

It would be another three years before Alex had enough points to come for Scott. Scott was twelve years old now, Alex hadn’t seen him since he was three. 

Alex felt incredibly anxious walking into the adoption center. He filled out the paperwork, specifying that he was here for a 100 point child and one in specific as well and waited. Fifteen minutes later a woman approached him.

“You’re Alex Summers?”

Alex sat up in his seat. “That’s me.”

“If you’ll come with me please, I’ll take you back.”

Alex got to his feet, shoving his hands into his pockets to keep from fidgeting.

“Now I know you’ve been communicating with us for some time about adopting Veronica specifically, but there have been some… developments since the last time we spoke  and if you do want to change your mind we can set you up to adopt someone else, you’ve worked hard to get those points after all.”

Alex scowled at the woman. Heat coiled in his chest reflexively but Alex forced it down. “Veronica is my _sister_ ,” He said, as level as he could. “I don’t plan on abandoning her just because _you_  think she’s a problem.” He hated having to misgender Scott, but this was already an unwelcoming environment without bringing up issues of queerness.

The woman sighed and handed Alex a file. “Very well. Here is her file. I do advise you to look it over before you make your final choice.”

Alex squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as anger surged through him again. He didn’t open them again until he heard the woman stalk off. When he opened his eyes again he paused a moment to check in a window that his eyes weren’t glowing before he flipped open the file, just to see the updated picture of Scott. His hair was cut in a short choppy bob, obviously crudely done, probably the shortest they’d allow. He had bandages over his eyes. Alex tried to swallow down his worry and pushed open the door to the 100 point dorm. 

There were roughly twenty kids in the room and all of the younger kids turned their heads to Alex, hope written on their faces that he’d come for them. Alex would have taken them all if he could, get them out of the system, but he only had enough points to adopt Scott.

“I’m- I’m looking for Scott Summers?” Alex asked the room at large. He tried not to look at the crestfallen faces of the younger kids after he said it. 

One of the older boys pointed to a bed towards the back of the room that had a figure curled up on it. 

Alex thanked the boy and made his way towards the bed. 

Scott didn’t seem to notice Alex’s approach until Alex cleared his throat and Scott flinched. Christ.

Alex swallowed and sat down carefully on the end of the bed. “Hey Scott,” he said softly.

Scott let out a shaky breath but didn’t say anything.

Alex took a deep breath. “It’s- It’s Alex. I don’t know if you remember me… you were so young-”

“I remember.” Scott said quietly, shifting a little to sit up some.

“I wanted to come find you for so long,” Alex said, his voice cracking. He was starting to get teary. “But I couldn’t even start earning points to adopt you until I turned eighteen.”

“Wait…” Scott hesitated, “You mean…”

“You’re coming home with me.”

Scott’s lip wobbled like he might start crying, but then he took a deep breath to steady himself.

“Do you have stuff you need to pull together?” Alex asked.

“A little,” Scott said. “Uh, could you… could you help? I can’t- I’m not- I can’t see.”

Alex frowned. That explained the bandages. “Of course, what do you need?”

“There are trash bags by the door to the room,” Scott said. “I can- I can get my stuff out of my drawer.”

Scott had his stuff piled on the bed by the time Alex got back with the bag, it really wasn’t much. A change of clothes, worn out pajamas, and a battered copy of _Alice in Wonderland_  that was missing it’s front cover. That meant Scott could read… so the blindness must be relatively new and not a product of the plane crash, or maybe it was, just delayed. The woman who’d led him back had said there had been “developments.” Alex wondered what could have happened, it was probably in Scott’s file. Alex would have to read it when they got back to the institute. 

As Alex was putting Scott things into the bag Scott reached out put his hand hesitantly on Alex’s arm. 

Alex stopped moving and Scott withdrew his hand like he’d been burned. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Alex said. “Here, I- can I hug you?”

“Uh, yeah… I guess…”

Alex set down the bag with Scott’s things and pulled Scott into a hug.

Scott collapsed into the hug, clinging to Alex. Alex held Scott close for several moments before he let go. “Let’s get out of here,” he said, picking up the bag with Scott’s things again.

Scott nodded, reaching hesitantly for Alex and Alex took Scott by the arm and lead him out of the room. 

The woman who had lead Alex back to the dorm was waiting at the front counter. “I see the contents of Veronica’s file didn’t dissuade you from adopting her.”

“Haven’t really looked at the file yet,” Alex said. “But I highly doubt there’s anything in there that would make change my mind.”

“You should know,” the woman said, passing Alex some final pieces of paperwork to fill out. “That Veronica has an appointment with a specialist, Dr. Essex, in a few days for her eyes. You’ll want to stay in town for that.”

Alex made a half hearted noise in acknowledgement. That sounded entirely too suspicious. 100 point children didn’t see specialists for anything. Not that they didn’t deserve to, but Alex had been a 100 point kid in the system until he ran away, things like specialist doctors were reserved for kids who were worth more. He handed the paperwork back to the woman.

“I suppose that’s everything,” the woman said. “The appointment with Dr. Essex will be here. There’s a sheet with all the details in Veronica’s file.”

Alex gave the woman a tight smile and ushered Scott out the door.

 

“We’re not coming back here,” Alex said to Scott once they were outside. 

“But what about the appointment?” Scott asked. 

“You’re not going. Something’s not right. 100 point kids don’t get appointments with specialists.”

“Oh.”

Scott sounded so crestfallen and Alex wanted to punch himself. “I didn’t… I didn’t mean it like that,” Alex said. “I was a 100 point kid too. People don’t care enough about kids like us enough to bother sending us to specialists.” Alex was going to have to read Scott’s file sooner rather than later. 

“But if I have this chance then maybe I should,” Scott said.

Alex sighed.  “We’ll see, we’ve got a few days.”

Scott nodded. 

“I want to read your file before doing anything else,” Alex said. “What is wrong with your eyes.”

Scott shook his head. “I don’t- I don’t think I should mention it in public…”

Alex nodded, “Well we’re almost at my car.”

“Okay,” Scott said softly. “You know, you might not still want me when you read my file.”

“Not possible,” Alex said as they reached the car. “You’re my brother Scottie, there is nothing that could possibly be in that file that would make me abandon you. _Nothing_.”

Scott bit his lip like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t.

Alex didn’t say anything either, he just opened the door for Scott so he could get into the front seat. Alex put Scott’s stuff in the back seat and got into the car too.

Alex had barely gotten the door closed when Scott spoke. “I’m a freak.”

“I could say that about myself too,” Alex said. 

“No I- I’m really…” Scott sighed. “I shoot lasers from my eyes. I know it doesn’t sound like it should be real but it is.”

Okay so a specialist being interested in Scott was definitely a red flag now. Alex hadn’t heard of Dr. Essex, but after what had happened to Sean, Alex wasn’t going to let anyone who could even potentially be like Trask near Scott.

Alex let out a deep breath and started the car. “You’re not a freak,” he said. “You’re a mutant. I am too. I can do something similar.”

Scott turned to face Alex. “Really?”

Alex nodded and then realized Scott couldn’t see that. “Yeah. It’s… It’s energy, I can expel it from all over my body, but I mostly channel it through my chest and arms.”

“I can’t control this… If Dr. Essex can do something-”

“No,” Alex said. “Absolutely not. I have a friend who I know can help, who’s a mutant like us. I’m not going to take a risk with a doctor I don’t know. Not with you.”

Scott was quiet for a moment, and then murmured, “Okay.”

“I know this is a lot,” Alex said. He could only imagine that Scott was overwhelmed by all this. “If you have any questions for me you can ask them.”

“How did you know I go by Scott? I doubt the people at the center told you.”

“You’re right, they didn’t,” Alex said. “The guy who found you for me, he… he’s a telepath. He saw that was how you were referring to yourself. I’m trans too, so I get it. It’s not entirely the same as you, but I’m a girl sometimes.”

“Are you a girl now?”

“No, my last girl day was a few days ago… I don’t… I don’t usually dress up on girl days anyways, only a few people actually know.”

“Oh… will you tell me? I mean when you have girl days.”

Alex smiled. “Yeah, I will. Do you want to stay in town for the night or head out right away?”

“Well if I’m not having that appointment with Dr. Essex we can just leave. You said you have a friend who can help me?”

“Yeah, his name’s Hank,” Alex said. “He made a suit that helped me channel my powers, he’ll be able to make something that will help with yours.”

Scott nodded, “Okay. I can’t- I can’t control them at all.”

“Hank will figure something out.”

Scott fidgeted in his seat. “Where do you live?” he asked.

“Upstate New York,” Alex said. “Though I’m thinking about moving into the city.”

“How long did it take you to drive here?”

“I made the trip down in three days, but I want to make some stops on the way back up so it might take a bit longer.”

Scott nodded. “I- I really missed you.”

Alex smiled a little sadly. “I missed you too Scottie. I’d hug you if I wasn’t driving.”

Scott smiled. It was a smile that reached Scott’s eyes, though his eyes weren’t visible, and it made Alex feel like now that he had Scott back things were going to be okay.


End file.
